The Glockenspiel

When the sun came out late Thursday afternoon after a day of clouds and light rain, I knew exactly where I wanted to go.  I headed to the city square, the Marienplatz, because at 5:00 P.M. the famous glockenspiel in the tower of the city hall performs.

Two times a day (three times a day in the summer) the figures on the tower put on a show which draws a large crowd of tourists on the plaza below.

The figures commemorate a royal wedding which took place in 1568.  You can see the couple seated toward the top.  Trumpeters and jesters come out, and a joust between knights is held to celebrate the event.  Then below them, a group of dancers merrily spin around.

My videos of the show are not the greatest.  It is slightly out of focus, and because I was zooming in on the figures, any movement of my hands is magnified.  However it gives you an idea of this popular tourist event.

After the glockenspiel, I looked for a place to eat.  On a narrow pedestrian street by the cathedral there were a number of restaurants with seating outside.  I chose one called Andechser am Dom ("am Dom" means by the cathedral).  The Andechser Brewery has been around since 1455.

I started with goulash soup.

For my main course I had chunks of veal in a creamy mushroom sauce with a side of spätzle.

For dessert I had apple strudel in cream sauce.

The food and the service were very good, and the atmosphere was delightful.